Hanabira no Kissu
by Okami-Raen
Summary: For Hibari, it had been a normal night; that was, until a certain rose-haired girl appeared. Mute, blood-splattered and defenseless, she shook his world and made it a whirlwind of color. Hibari x OC CURRENTLY ON HIATUS
1. A Kiss

Hey there.

**Yeah, ignore my insanity at putting out yet another 'other-than-my-main-fic' thing. I'm not sure whether this is going to be a mini fic or what yet, but this idea was too good for me to ignore... And me being me, I had to try it out, despite the large pile of chapter updates I need to get to**... .;;

**But yeah, this is all about Hibari, though Kusakabe plays a part as well. I hope you guys like it!**

**And to answer any upcoming questions or confusions; things will make more sense later on...**

**Don't forget to review!**

**-Okami  
**

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** Hanabira no Kissu **

_**It all began with a kiss.**_

…

_**..**_

_**.**_

It was a normal night in Namimori; quiet, peaceful. The way Kyouya Hibari liked it best.

He softly strode down a dark street, hands in pockets and jacket strewn over his shoulder. His eyes were closed in weariness; being the school prefect could be exhausting sometimes. And today hadn't been any different.

From threatening the usual rule breakers to attempting to avoid the meddlesome Dino Cavalone who continued to push for him to train for the upcoming ring battle.

Hibari didn't care; they were all herbivores, hardly worth his time. But the idea of a good fight with a possibly worthy opponent did make him curious…but of course, only slightly.

"Hmph," he sighed, pausing slightly. How did he ever wind up mixed in with those herbivores in the first place? Oh yes, that was right. The baby… Now he was someone interesting, worth his attention. The killing intent underlying the calm aura intrigued him, and he wondered when he could test out his skills against him. But that was for another time.

Hibari silenced his thoughts as a faint sound reached his ears, cutting through the silence like a knife.

The patter of feet running across pavement, almost in a melodic fashion…and close. Tilting his head, he was able to tell that the runner was barefoot, and lightweight, probably young. Not that he cared.

If it had been on Namimori school grounds, he would have stopped the runner immediately, issuing a threat to put them back in line; but, this was far from the school, and something told him that this person was no student of his school.

And that meant he had no reason to linger on the sound any longer; he continued walking, pushing the sound to the back of his mind.

_Pitter-pat, pitter-pat, pitter-_

It was louder, echoing behind him. He could make out frantic breathing coupled with the faint trace of fear.

The runner was too close to ignore, so he glanced back at it.

_A girl-?_ He wondered, taking in her appearance as she closed the distance between them. She was moving fast enough that his clothes and hair moved with the wind she created.

As she passed him, their eyes met momentarily. Blue-green met deep lavender, before she looked away and turned a corner.

Was that blood on her gown? And on the ground…faint bloody footprints.

Hibari felt slight interest, but she was gone.

A moment later a car went rushing past, its headlights cutting through the dark. It turned the corner sharply, wheels churning against the asphalt.

Chasing her perhaps?

Hibari turned the corner a minute later, to find the car and girl gone. The night was quiet again; just the way he liked it.

Sighing slightly, he picked up his pace and continued walking. It was dark on this side of the street, and almost devoid of life. After a few minutes, he found himself outside Namimori Middle's gate.

His eyes traveled across the grounds, looking for anything out of place. But all was well, as it should be. And quiet…blissfully so, until-

Pale hands suddenly locked on the front of his shirt, pulling him into the shadow of a low tree.

To say Hibari was surprised was an understatement; there was no way a person could avoid his notice; his senses were at their highest, and no presence went unnoticed, or so he had believed. A half second later he raised his hand to strike away at his attacker, pulling himself backwards.

Whoever his attacker was, they weren't very strong, and he easily towed them into the light.

The first thing that struck him were her large cyan colored eyes. They were innocent and childlike; in fact, her whole face rang of innocence, though she couldn't be much younger than himself.

The hands clinging to his shirt were shaking and bruised, while the rest of her was trembling. Afraid was she? Of him? Or something else?

Hibari's hand lowered slightly, the resolve to hit such a creature fading away.

"Let go of me," he commanded, letting his hands circle round her wrists. He pulled at them, using gentle force, but force all the same. She didn't let go.

"Do not make me repeat myself, let go, now." He said, squeezing harder.

She whimpered slightly, but still kept her grip. Hibari was becoming inpatient. He was going to have to harm this innocent girl who dared hold onto him.

Car lights broke through the shadows, illuminating her face. If he had thought her to be afraid before, it was nothing compared to now. Her eyes were pleading with him, her knuckles white as she clung with all her strength to him.

"What do you want with me, girl?" he asked, trying to free himself. This was staring to become ridiculous, why wouldn't she let go?

Before he could say another word, she tilted forwards on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

Hibari's eyes went wide with surprise, his body tensing. What in the world was she doing? He started to pull back, but she pressed herself even closer against him, her hands sliding to his sides as she clung even tighter to him.

Her lips were warm and soft against his, and her body as fragrant and fragile as a sakura blossom.

The lights stayed on them as the car came to a grinding halt, the front wheels pressing against the sidewalk.

Frowning, Hibari pushed against her shoulders, trying to break the kiss. There was no romance in a stranger kissing him; and he wanted to bite her to death for daring to even touch him.

He ripped out of her grip suddenly, his eyes furious. His hand rose once again to hit her. But the girl…she didn't flinch, only looked away from him at the ground, almost as if she was used to it.

Why did his hand suddenly freeze? What made him falter? He found that he couldn't bring himself to hit her, even though she was obviously prepared for it.

Footsteps reached his ears, pulling his gaze away from the girl. Five men stood behind him, all wearing dark suits and glasses. They looked like mafia of some kind.

The girl shrank against Hibari's side, her shaking hands clinging to his shirt again.

"What are you doing, boy?" asked one of the men. "That girl belongs to us; hand her over."

Hibari glanced down at the girl, trying to read her expression. In return she pressed her face against his back, her hands tightening on his shirt.

"Stop that," he said to her quietly. She was wrinkling his uniform, and he didn't like her touching him.

"Didn't you hear me, kid?" called out the man. "Get the hell away from her, or I'll kill you."

Hibari looked at him, spotting a small gun in his hands. With one hand, he slowly removed his tonfa from his side bag, his eyes narrowing.

"Weapons are prohibited on school property, leave now, or I'll bite you to death."

"Oho! Who the hell does he think he is, boss?" scoffed a different man, laughing loudly. "You should just shoot the both of them and be done with it!"

"Shut up," said the man with the gun, his eyes on Hibari. "Boy… I'll give you to the count of three. Give us the girl, or I'll blow your brains out."

Hibari didn't answer.

"One…"

The girl shook violently against his side, her skin pale.

"Two…"

Hibari's hands tightened around the handles of his tonfa.

"Three-"

BANG!

The gun went off, scaring away some roosting birds from the overhanging tree. The girl's scream mixed in with the sound, before fading away.

"Tch." The gun clattered to the ground at Hibari's feet, smoke rising from the barrel. He frowned slightly, before slamming the end of his tonfa against the man's jaw, lifting him momentarily off his feet.

Before any of the men could move, Hibari struck out at them, sending one man against the car windshield, which shattered instantly.

"Fools," he whispered, flicking the blood off the end of his tonfa. He turned and stared at the girl, his hands dropping to his sides.

She was standing there, eyes wide and hands pressed to her lips in shock. He took the moment to study her fully, seeing as they were now further apart.

The girl, thin and frail, was wearing what looked like a tattered and yellowed lace nightgown; blood was splattered in random places, as well as two smeared bloody handprints. Her long pale legs were bruised and dirty, as were her arms.

A chill wind suddenly blew, causing her long rose colored hair to fly back, long and tangled. Hibari reasoned that if she hadn't been in such a tattered state, she was bound to be one of the prettiest girls he had ever set eyes on, but, even in the shape she was in, he still found her pretty.

She was shivering as she stared back at him, her slender arms slowly lowering into a loose cross over her stomach.

"Hmph." Hibari walked toward her, pulling his jacket off of his shoulder. Looking away, he tossed it at her, before walking past and onto the main path to Nami Middle.

He didn't look back as he approached the building, his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets.

The soft pitter pat of feet behind him reached his ears; he glanced back at her.

"I didn't intend for you to follow me, girl," he said quietly. She froze in midstep, her eyes still wide and locked on him. After a moment, her lips slowly curved into a small smile, before she closed the distance between them, her fingers reaching out and holding onto his sleeve.

Hibari frowned slightly.

"It would seem I am stuck with you."

This was a situation that needed fixing, _immediately_.

"EH?! H-Hibari-san…what-?" gasped Tetsuya Kusakabe as a girl was shoved into his arms. Hibari eyed his vice president with amusement. Kusakabe was wearing a flowery looking nightcap and matching boxers topped with a white T-shirt; it was very far from the usual clothing Hibari saw him in, and he couldn't help but find it mildly entertaining.

"Take care of her," ordered Hibari.

Kusakabe blinked a few times, before looking down at the girl, who was sound asleep. But if she was asleep…that meant that Hibari would have had to…_carry_ her. Now that was hard to believe; but asking Hibari was out of the question…or nearly so.

"Uh…would you like to come in and rest a bit, Hibari-san? I just made myself some tea…" muttered Kusakabe, before carefully placing his arm under the girl's knees and lifting her up.

"…" Hibari didn't answer, but he didn't turn and leave either. Kusakabe sighed, before turning and walking inside.

_It's a good thing my parents are on vacation,_ thought Kusakabe as he laid the girl down on the couch. He wanted to examine her, but it was best _not_ to ignore Hibari. He quickly went and retrieved the tea.

Hibari sat down on the couch opposite the girl, his eyes lingering on her. After he had decided to drag her to Kusakabe, she had suddenly stumbled into his back, her eyes closing. It would seem she passed out from exhaustion, though he suspected it was probably also do to malnutrition.

Carrying her had been easy, but it surprised even himself. But he couldn't just leave her there, though the thought did cross his mind a few times. But… he didn't understand just why he felt like helping her; it wasn't in his usual nature. Hmm…maybe it was that he was tired…exhaustion can make the mind muddled after all.

Hibari sighed and looked away; this was the first time he actually entered Kusakabe's house. Not that he hadn't been invited; he had refused entrance many times over the years. But now… He needed someone to take care of the girl; someone with a steady household. And who better than his vice president? Hibari refused to depend on no one, but he did tolerate Kusakabe's aid from time to time.

"So… does she have a name?" asked Kusakabe, placing a cup on the table in front of Hibari. It seemed Kusakabe had been self conscious; the strange night cap was gone.

"Not that I know of," admitted Hibari, before taking a sip of tea.

"Hmm…" replied Kusakabe, sitting down on arm of the couch opposite. He looked down at the girl, finally taking in her full appearance.

_She's pretty,_ he thought, _and very underfed…just where did he find her?_ He glanced at Hibari; the head prefect was looked out a nearby window, his expression calm and unreadable as ever. No, he probably wasn't going to get an answer out of him tonight, but maybe the girl would be able to explain what happened when she woke up.

A few minutes went by in silence, before Hibari stood up. He glanced at the girl, before turning and walking to the front door.

"I'm leaving," he muttered.

Kusakabe followed, wondering what in the world he was going to do with a passed out girl on his couch. The only lucky thing was the fact that it was a Friday, and there wasn't any school the next day. Plenty of time to figure out what to do.

"Goodnight, Hibari-san-" he began, as said prefect started to walk out the door. A pink blur pushed past Kusakabe, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Wha-?!" he gasped, seeing the supposed unconscious girl clinging to Hibari's arm.

Hibari stared down at her.

"Let go," he commanded quietly, pulling his arm free of her grip. Her eyebrows were contracted in worry, pleading as before. She seemed not to want him to leave.

"I said let go," he said more forcefully, pulling his arm away. She let go and instead crossed her arms over her chest, a soft whimper coming from her.

Kusakabe thought he saw Hibari's eyes soften just the tiniest bit, before he turned and walked outside, the shadows swallowing him up almost instantaneously.

The girl stared after him, her hand on the doorframe.

_Just who is she?_ Wondered Kusakabe as he stared at her, before walking up to her.

"Um…hello," he muttered, unsure what to say. The girl looked up at him with bright green-blue eyes, the startling color making his breath catch in his throat. He swallowed. "I'm Tetsuya…Tetsuya Kusakabe…"

She blinked but remained silent, before looking out the door where Hibari had gone.

Kusakabe reached out and closed the door with a sigh.

"He's not one to stick around," he explained, "Hibari-san doesn't care much for people…it's just how he is."

He gestured towards the couch. "You should sit back down…you look like you need to rest…and your wounds…just what exactly happened?"

The girl lowered her gaze to the floor, her arms crossing over her chest as if to protect herself. Slowly she walked over to the couch and sat down, her slender form pressed tight against the arm. Kusakabe sighed; _I guess she's not the vocal kind…_ He glanced at her before pouring her a cup of tea; _maybe she's mute?_

"Here," he said, pushing the cup towards her. He took a sip of his tea, before staring at her.

The girl tentatively picked up her cup, sniffing at the steam rising from the rim.

"So…what's your name?" he asked, hoping she was just quiet and not really mute.

She stared at him, her head tilted slightly.

"You do have a name…don't you?" he asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…but could you at least tell me why Hibari brought you here? And why you're covered in cuts and bruises?"

Still she didn't answer. Instead she looked away, her eyes sad.

Kusakabe hung his head in defeat; he wasn't going to get an answer out of her. He closed his eyes for a second. _Hibari-san…just what have you brought to me?_

The sound of pencil on paper made him open his eyes and stare at her. The girl had found a pencil and was writing on the back of a newspaper on the table. Surprised and hopeful for an answer, he leaned forwards to read what she was writing.

The kanji was difficult to make out with her shaky, awkward writing, but after a moment he read:

_Miyuki._

He looked up at her, she was staring at him.

"Your name?" he asked. She nodded softly.

"Miyuki-san…where did you come from? Is there a house that I could bring you to…?"

She leaned forwards and began scribbling an answer.

_No. No home._

Kusakabe frowned slightly; no home? Was she a runaway? Or was it something more sinister? He didn't know.

"I see…well, you are welcome to stay here for the night…" he smiled kindly. She smiled slightly in return. "Forgive me, but what happened? Were you attacked by someone?" he gestured at her wounds. He knew Hibari was not the cause; dangerous and ruthless as he was, Hibari would not attack an innocent without provocation, and he knew she wouldn't do anything of the sort…except cling to him, which confused him to no end, seeing as Hibari disliked being touched.

Miyuki scribbled her answer:

_Yes._

"Who attacked you?"

_Miyuki doesn't know. _ _Head hurts…can't remember…_ She drew back against the couch, her hands on the sides of her head.

"Ah…we aren't in a rush…and you should rest…" said Kusakabe, dropping the topic. "I have a guest room you can use if you like…it has a bathroom connected to it…so if you want to take a bath…"

She nodded slowly, her eyes slightly scrunched up in pain.

Kusakabe got to his feet, his hand extended out to her. "I'll show you where it is, if you like."

Miyuki's hand slowly placed itself in his, small and pale. He smiled slightly and helped her to her feet, before leading her to a back room. Kusakabe held the door open for her.

"This is it, Miyuki-san. If you have any trouble, I'm just down the hall, see?" he pointed to an open door at the end of the hallway. "Don't be afraid to come get me if you need something."

She nodded, letting go of his hand and walking inside.

"Goodnight," he said, before walking to his room. She watched him walk away, her hand on the doorframe to keep her from falling over.

He was nice. Miyuki liked him immediately, and was glad Hibari had brought her here.

_Hibari…_

She wanted to say his name aloud, but she was unable to. As far back as she could remember-which wasn't far-she couldn't talk. It was as if something banished all words from her lips. She could make sounds, and she could surely scream, as she had when she thought the bad man had shot Hibari, but words seemed beyond her power.

Miyuki turned and examined the room, her arms crossed over her chest again; she was cold. She had felt cold up until she had pressed close to Hibari. Remembering it made her feel lightheaded; Hibari made her lightheaded.

She felt slightly embarrassed by her actions; clinging to him like she did, and finally kissing him… He probably hated her for it. And yet… he had saved her. Brought her to the nice Kusakabe-kun…

But who was Hibari?

Miyuki didn't know. But knew she liked him. Of that there was no doubt. She wondered if she would see him again. It was likely, seeing as Kusakabe seemed to be some sort of friend to him.

_Friend…_ That was something near alien to her; she hadn't any friends.

She let her hand brush against the bed as she walked to the bathroom, her sore feet relieved by the soft plush rug. Luxury…she knew that she had never lived in a house or room with anything close to this comfort. But she knew of bathing…

Miyuki flicked on the bathroom light, her eyes landing on the large bathtub. The hot water would make her feel better, and even clear her head. She hummed to herself as she turned on the tap, the handle shiny and clean.

What was the mysterious Hibari-san doing right now? Was he still walking the dark streets like before? Or was he sleeping soundly somewhere, forgetting totally about her?

Miyuki couldn't help but wonder as she slid into the steaming water. Just what did he think of her? A strange blood splattered mute who clung to him so suddenly? Kissed him so suddenly?

She had kissed him as a desperate plea for help; she knew no other way, seeing as she couldn't speak. And clinging to him…that had been because she was cold…and afraid. She didn't know who the bad men were, only that they were trying to hurt her.

And Hibari had saved her. Rescued her like some fairytale prince.

Miyuki smiled as she sunk further into the water, her eyes closing. Yes, she would have to see him again, soon.

Hibari stared up at the ceiling, his eyes absently moving across the tiles. The couch beneath him was soft, comfortable enough for him to sleep. But he found his thoughts racing; enough so that he couldn't sleep.

_Who was that girl?_ He wondered, turning his head to stare out the window. She intrigued him; her and those eyes…

They were complete strangers, and yet she had dared to touch him! To kiss him!

Hibari's hand went to his lips; he could still feel the sensation of her lips against his. Soft, warm… but it hadn't been a proper kiss. Not only had he been nearly unresponsive, but the feelings behind it were full of fear and pleading, not romance.

But what would a proper kiss feel like? He didn't know. Hibari had never kissed anyone, and this girl…this stranger, had stolen the first kiss.

He sighed and covered his face with his arm, blocking out the school's reception room.

What was he going to do? He had dumped the girl on his vice president, and he couldn't just leave things like that. Well, actually he could, but Kusakabe was a valuable partner, and it would be cruel to leave things like that after all he had done for him.

Tomorrow he would check in and see how they were doing… he decided, before falling asleep.

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**Okay, so that's the first part (?)**

**Tell me what ya thought, okay?**


	2. A Smile

**Ciaossuu~!**

**Due to all the faves, alerts, and reviews, I pulled this one out early, despite my continuously growing pile of work. .;;**

**But that said, I'm happy to pull this out! And what a lovely atmosphere I got to write it in! (I was on a train from San Jose to Sacramento [I went on vacation]) The views were very pretty~!**

**But yeah, I decided to pull this story out into more than just one or two measly chapters... How many I will eventually write, I can't be certain, but I must say, you readers sure push me to write more, so your faves, alerts and reviews are much appreciated. *bows***

**XD Kuskabe's nigh cap seems to be pretty popular with everyone! I'm glad!  
**

NinjaTortoise: Da'aw I'm not that good, really. I still have a lot of learning to do with plots, character development, and dialogue. But thank you so much!

Anne: Lol you'll learn more about Miyuki in time ^^ And yeah, I like Kusakabe myself. And I belive that he is actually somewhat friendly with people, such as young Lambo and I-pin, ya know? And thanks again~

easterlily16: Yes, the hat XD And arigatou!

punshy: ¡Ah, yo hablo español un poco por mis dos años en clase de español! (hopefully i said that right ^^;;) And your english is fine, don't worry about it. I think anyone who can speak more than one language is amazing (I only know fragments of things). You know, for confusing parts, you could probably use a google translator. Just copy and paste parts you have trouble with, and it'll be clearer! ^^ Thanks so much. And yes, it appears Miyuki has stolen his first kiss XD

Akaki: Oh darn, I wanted to answer you sooner, but you don't have an account! :o (or at least when you reviewed). I did change my summary, because I saw your point. When I had written it, i was tired and my writing powers were all sapped up for the night. But it's all good now. And you drew her? May I see? (if there is a link), and also...I tried looking up the character on photobucket, but I didn't get any results... But, that aside, you want to do a doujin? I'm totally cool with it, except for two conditions; one, I get proper credits, and secondly...I get to see it. It makes me excited to hear that you would want to draw it! :3 Thanks so much!

vampireizzy: Yup, yup, his first kiss. Thanks!

xXAznKittieLuvsTurtlesXx: Aww, I'm glad you like it!

Akamura: Hey there, Akamura-san XD Are you hopping across my fics? I didn't know you knew KHR XD And thanks as always. (And btw, I should have an update on my other work soon)

SheDreamsFiction: Yeah? I'd hope so, I love pulling out new kind of things like that. Thanks so much!

TaiShii: Aw, thanks XD

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE NEXT DAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Miyuki-san?" called out Kusakabe as he knocked on the door. It was late morning, and she hadn't appeared out of the room once. He was slightly worried.

From what he had seen her wounds hadn't been too serious, but that didn't mean they weren't nonexistent. Hopefully she hadn't passed out in the bath; if something had happened to her, Kusakabe wouldn't' be able to forgive himself.

"I knew I should have checked on her," he muttered. He had planned on checking on her later last night, but he had fallen asleep and forgotten all about it, until now.

_Please be alright,_ he thought, his hand moving to the doorknob. But before he could turn it, the door swung open.

Kusakabe's breath caught in his throat at the sight in front of him. It was as if the Miyuki last night had been replaced with a new and improved version!

She wasn't as pale as before, and the bruises had all but faded from her soft looking skin. And her hair…it wasn't rose pink, but a soft sakura color, as were her small lips. Her eyes were brighter, a clearer blue-green than last night.

And it would seem that she found the clothes he had left out for her; a few mementos from his older sister, who had moved out years ago. The clothes were old, but clean and intact.

Miyuki stared at him, her hands clutching a bundle of cloth that he didn't recognize.

After a moment, Kusakabe realized he had been staring. He glanced away for a second, before looking back at her.

"Are you feeling well, Miyuki-san? Are you hungry? I made breakfast, if you would like any."

She smiled at him, nodding gently. Her eyes lingered on his strange hairstyle; last night it had been wet and messy, but now it was a strange extension that leaned far over his eyes.

Kusakabe turned and began walking down the hall, glancing back at her to follow. This time, she didn't hold onto his hand, instead walking on her own, following close behind him.

The kitchen was traditional Japanese style, with warm lilac parchment on dark wood screens. On a small low table lay a small feast of eggs, fruit, rice, and fish. Miyuki could smell the refreshing smell of fresh tea boiling away on the stovetop, the pot giving off faint whistling sounds.

It was very charming, she mused.

After another moment's glance, she took a seat at the table, her slender legs curling beneath her as her eyes stared at the feast before her. The strange bundle of cloth was placed on her lap, her hands still holding onto it.

Kusakabe took the kettle off the stove and put it on the table, his free hand holding a pair of cups.

"Don't be afraid to eat; please, take what you want, there's plenty."

She watched as he poured the tea.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day they say…" he muttered, partly to himself and partly to her.

She looked away from him and back at the steaming food in front of her; her stomach growled loudly. When was the last time she had eaten? She wasn't sure.

Miyuki quickly piled her plate with food, barely able to restrain the ravenousness that suddenly overcame her. Her hand shook as she picked up the chopsticks and took a bite at some fish; somehow she found that she knew how to use the chopsticks, though she didn't remember how or when she had learned to.

The next ten minutes passed in silence, the two eating quietly, eyes every now and again glancing at each other.

Once Miyuki was mostly sated, she began trying to get a better sense of who Kusakabe was.

He had a strong mature kind of face, and the way he held himself was very adult like too. And yet she knew he couldn't be too much older than her. His hairstyle intrigued her; she had never seen it before, and based on what she was able to deem, he seemed too serious for it…but on second thought, she realized it suited him.

The whole while she had been studying him, he had been studying her.

Kusakabe thought her very mysterious; but not in a bad way. He had a strong feeling that there was a sad story behind the shy smile, though that was often the case with most people. But really, she wasn't like most people, was she?

Hibari's expression from last night flashed in his head; it probably wasn't detectable to anyone else, but Kusakabe was almost certain that he had seen a flicker of softness in his president's eyes. And he had allowed her to touch him. Had it been anyone else, even Kusakabe, Hibari would have attacked. But he hadn't hit her…

_Just who and what is she?_ He thought, glancing at her over the top of his cup.

Miyuki successfully helped Kusakabe clean and put away the dishes, though for the most part, the former was left to him job; Miyuki was a little more than a head shorter than him, so he was the one to put things high in the cupboards.

When they were finished, Miyuki suddenly vanished into the living room, before coming back with the newspaper and pencil.

Kusakabe stared at her for a moment; did she want to ask him something? Or was she finally going to explain what was going on?

She sat down at the table, prepared to write, but he stopped her.

"Please wait a minute," he said, walking away and digging through a drawer in the hallway. "I should have a spare notebook somewhere!"

Miyuki did as he asked, her hands folded on the table patiently.

A moment later he came back with a shiny blue notebook. He handed it to her, before sitting back down at the table.

Miyuki opened it and picked up the pencil, before scribbling out her words.

Kusakabe leaned forwards, curious to what she was writing.

Self consciously she pulled the notebook away, not wanting him to see until she was finished. A moment later she stopped, and pushed it towards him.

He picked it up and read it.

_'Thank you, Kusakabe-san.'_

"Ah, you're welcome," he replied, smiling at her slightly. She smiled back and took the notebook from him.

_'Where is Hibari-san?'_

He leaned back, frowning slightly. Asking about him, was she? Well…

"I guess he would be at school at the moment…" Kusakabe put his hand on his chin thoughtfully, his eyes on her. "Miyuki-san…why do you ask? I've been wondering…do you know Hibari-san?"

She shook her head slowly, before resorting to her paper again.

_'No…Miyuki has never met Hibari-san before…'_

She didn't answer his first question.

Kusakabe didn't ask again; _maybe… maybe she has a crush on him?_

For some reason the idea made him want to laugh just the littlest bit…but then, as he thought about his president's behavior…it left him confused.

Kusakabe's hand moved to his forehead in frustration; this mystery was giving him a headache. And forcing her to tell him what her story was seemed wrong; even if he had helped her out.

_But I would like to know…err… just what is her connection to Hibari-san?_

The sound of tapping made him look at her.

Miyuki was holding up the pad of paper, staring at him. He read it.

'_Are you well, Kusakabe-san? Did Miyuki make you angry?'_

"Wha-? No, no…" he chuckled, "I'm fine, and I'm not mad at you. I'm just trying to understand this situation…" He leaned forwards and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "Is there anything you can tell me? Like where you came from? The last thing you can remember? What happened with you and Hibari-san?"

He put his fingers over his mouth slightly with embarrassment, realizing that he had asked too many questions at once and too quickly.

Miyuki smiled slightly at his expression, before propping the pad on the table and writing. After a few minutes, she passed it across the table.

Kusakabe picked it up began reading it.

_'Since Kusakabe-san has been so kind to Miyuki; Miyuki will try her best to answer his questions.'_

It seemed for certain that she thought of herself in third person, which was strange, but not totally uncommon.

_'Miyuki remembers waking up in a dark room, with angry people and lots of red. Red all over floor and all over Miyuki too. Angry people yelled and tried to hurt Miyuki… Miyuki was very scared. Miyuki found broken window and ran away. Bad people followed in car._

_'Miyuki ran and ran, even when Miyuki's feet started bleeding and Miyuki nearly was caught._

_'Then Hibari-san appeared as Miyuki kept running. He watched Miyuki run by as well as the bad men. Miyuki could see that Hibari-san was strong…Hibari-san could help her. Miyuki stopped and waited for him to come round the street._

_'Miyuki can't talk…and there was no paper to write on. Miyuki did the only thing Miyuki could; hold onto him and hope Hibari-san would understand.'_

_'Hibari-san was angry. He wanted to hit Miyuki too. Miyuki didn't blame him and closed her eyes expecting him to…but he didn't. Instead Hibari-san tried to push her back, but the bad men came. They came to take Miyuki away and hurt her.'_

_'Miyuki was scared…so scared. Hibari-san stared at bad men and talked to them. One bad man told him that if Hibari-san didn't give Miyuki to them, he would kill him. Bad man took out a gun. Hibari-san pulled out strange poles and prepared to fight. Bad man shot at Hibari-san; missed; Hibari-san beat all the bad men up._

_'Hibari-san saved Miyuki! Miyuki was so glad…but Miyuki didn't know where to go… so Miyuki followed Hibari-san. He gave Miyuki Hibari-san's coat, knowing Miyuki was cold. Then Hibari-san let Miyuki follow him down many streets, before Miyuki tripped and walked into him. Miyuki's legs hurt very much and Miyuki was very tired._

_'Miyuki was surprised when Hibari-san told Miyuki to climb onto his back. Miyuki did as she was told… Hibari-san was very warm…Miyuki fell asleep…and then Miyuki met Kusakabe-san."_

Kusakabe stared at her writing, his mind whirring with thoughts.

Bad men chasing her? And obviously trying to kill her? Hibari helping her? Giving her his coat? Hibari_ carrying_ her?!

He blinked a few times, trying to slow his rapid thoughts. _Just what in the world is going on?_ It was hard to believe; Hibari was not one to do anything like that… But, had he not seen Hibari coatless-_wait!_ How had he missed it?!

Kusakabe racked his brain until he pulled up a mental image of unconscious Miyuki; she had been wearing a familiar coat…a Namimori Middle coat. And that bundle she was carrying with her; the color was identical to the color of the coat…

And she was definitely unconscious when he pushed her into Kusakabe's arms…meaning…her story was _completely true._

Kusakabe let out a slight groan and sank back, the pad of paper back on the table. Miyuki reached out and grabbed it, turning to a clean page.

Before she began writing, she stared at Kusakabe; he said he was fine, but he didn't look it at the moment. Was there something wrong with what she had written? Miyuki didn't think so, and it wasn't like she left out any important detail, other than her kissing Hibari-san, and by the look on his face, if she were to have mentioned it, he probably would have fainted or something.

Miyuki felt a little guilt as she saw his face; maybe this was too much for him… maybe Miyuki should leave?

She began writing again.

'_Ne…Kusakabe-san, can you tell me how to find where Hibari is?'_

Miyuki figured that she could leave Kusakabe to recover, and in the meantime, thank Hibari-san for helping her.

But from there… she didn't know. Miyuki couldn't continue to inconvenience Kusakabe-san, he was too nice, and she was just a stranger anyway. And she couldn't stay with Hibari-san; he had dropped her off with Kusakabe…so he probably didn't want her around.

No, she would just wander off somewhere, before anyone would notice her. And there were also the bad men…surely they would come after her again, and after anyone she was with. _Yes,_ she decided, _I will just leave…but first…_

Miyuki pushed the pad of paper towards Kusakabe; after a moment he took it, his expression still…off.

She waited patiently for his response; it seemed that her question brought him out of whatever state he was in. Kusakabe blinked a few times.

"Uh… Well he's at Nami Middle…but…do you want to see him, Miyuki-san?"

She nodded, a shy smile on her face.

"Well, I can take you if you like I guess…but, I need to get dressed, first, okay?" He gestured at the shirt and striped pajama pants he was wearing.

Miyuki nodded, smiling at him as Kusakabe got up.

"You're welcome to walk around the house; I'll be a few minutes," he said, before walking out of the kitchen and out of sight.

Miyuki's smile fell as she turned to a fresh page of paper and began writing, before tearing it out and putting it on the table. With an intake of breath, she got to her feet and walked to the front door, taking the coat and notepad with her.

The door closed quietly behind her with a click.

"Ah, sorry about that! I couldn't find my-" Kusakabe stopped in midsentence as he stood in the kitchen doorway. "Miyuki-san?'

He was going to try searching the rest of the house, but a paper sitting on the table caught his eye. Before he even read it, he had an idea of what had happened.

_'Kusakabe-san, thank you for all that you have done for Miyuki. But Miyuki needs to leave now, and doesn't want to inconvenience you. Thank you so much,_

_-Miyuki.'_

"No…" he muttered, walking towards the living room. The idea of her out there alone, gave him a very bad feeling.

"Miyuki-san!" he called, as he tore out of the house. But she was already gone.

* * *

**Will Miyuki reach her destination safely? Or will Kusakabe's bad hunch come true? And if so, who will save her? Find out next time!**

**-Okami  
**


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